“Film stars are easy targets” – Shatrughan Sinha

By Faridoon Shahryar -

February 26, 2016 - 10:35 AM IST

"Aamir Khan, bahut badiya hai, bahut acha ladka hai. Acha hai,badiya insaan hai, bahut badiya insaan hai.," said Shahrughan Sinha in a Bollywood Hungama exclusive interview with Faridoon Shahryar. Sinha's biography Anything But khamosh has recently been released. The author of the biography Bharthi Pradhan gave an insight on how she has tackled the chapter of Reena Roy in Mr Sinha's life. Shotgun Sinha also spoke about his rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan.

Sir, you've also spoken about the Shah Rukh Khan incident, the way it happened once Dilwale released and there was opposition. You said that it seems mobocracy over democracy; you're saying quite a few things recently, the way it has happened at Patiala House recently as well. You've also said you don't agree with the opinions of Shah Rukh and Aamir as well. But somewhere do you feel that the way film stars are targeted is not right?
Shatrugan Sinha (SS): Yeh toh fact hai, film stars are easy targets. Woh punching bag bhi hote hai. Kabhi nahi mila toh attention divert karne ke liye bhi kiya jaata hai. Shah Rukh, Aamir are nice people, they are very nice. Shah Rukh, I call him energy king. In fact jaise hamare prime minister ki energy jo level hai, Narendra Modi ki, ghazab ki energy, ussi tarah Shah Rukh Khan mein bhi hai. And Aamir Khan, bahut badiya hai, bahut acha ladka hai. Ladka? Acha thoda zyada ho gaya (Laughs!). Acha hai,badiya insaan hai, bahut badiya insaan hai. Lekin usme mujhe lagta hia ke slip of tongue kaho ya chain of thoughts mein idhar udhar ho jaane se. Unki baat ka batangad banta hai. Zara si baat ka afsana bana dete hai log, aur phir hota hia tolerance aur intolerance ki baat karte hai. Haalaki main us se bilkul sehmat nahi hu, yeh tolerance intolerance wali baat jo ho rahi thi. Iska bahut acha is book mein mere bete Kush ne khud pada tha ki agar tolerance intolerance ki baat ka iss book me zikar hai 291 ya kisi page pe hai k eek toh apne awards wapas kar rahe hai. Arrey bhai itne bade bade kaand ho gaye dekh mein, tab toh aapne awards wapas nahi kiye. Tab toh kiye nahi, ab wapas kar rahe ho apne matlab se western interest ke chakkar mein.

“Film stars are easy targets” – Shatrughan Sinha

Kaafi logo ne kaha ke Bihar elections ke wajah se kiya gaya woh.
Yeh bhi ho sakta hai, par jo bhi hua nahi hona chahiye tha.

Bharathi, you've also spoken about the Gharwali and Baharwali element in the biography. So could you tell us something about that? He has been very candid about that.
Bharathi:
He has been very candid because it's an open chapter everybody knew about it. It wasn't done under wraps at all, and I think there was a time when he was in a fix. Because I was friend to both him and to Poonam and to Reena. So I knew what was being played out between all of them and I could see he was in a fix at that time, he didn't know which way to head. Then finally I guess better sense prevailed and he knew where to go. It has all worked out so beautifully that I think it's not very nice to keep revisiting that all the time. But yes he has revisited it only to that extent that it's not something that needs to be whitewashed.

SS: Kai logo ka who swabhawik hai, kai logo ka aisa sochna ke book mein kya hoga, kya kya baatein kahenge phir ungliya uthegi phir tarah tarah ki baatein hongi. But we were not only convinced but careful also, ekdul shuru se ke aisi koi baat nahi kare jis se ki dignity pe, hamari dignity aur saath saath un ladies ki, ladkiyo ki, mahaliyo ki dignity pe kabhi koi aanch aaye. Isliye aap dekhoge is book mein jiski prashansa hui hai, tareef hui hai ki isme koi usme titillate karna, sensationalize karna, na vulgarity hai na kuch hai.

Sir, last question, apparently I think you've also you've mentioned that you were approached for Jai in
Sholay but Mr. Bachchan convinced the producer that he's better for the role. Could you please talk about that?
SS: Isme kehne mein koi harz nahi hai because kitaab mein toh hamare hai hi lekin Ramesh Sippy ke apni kitaab mein bhi hai, Amitabh ne khud bhi isko kaha hai kai jagah. Yes, yeh role ahamre loye aayi thi Sholay ki aur uss waqt main bahut zyada busy bhi tha. Main uss samay parallel role se hero mein aa raha tha. Logo ne kaha phir kahin parallel role mein shaamil na kar diye jaao. But overall main yahi kahunga ke aap samjho ek human error tha, hume karna chahiye tha. Deewar film bhi hamare paas thi, who bhi hum kuch mahino baad nahi kar sake for different reasons jo bhi hua. So iska ek taraf afsos hai, lekin dusri taraf iss human error ki khaamiyo ke saath saath khushi bhi hai. Ke desh ko itna bada, itna mahan, itna acha vyaktitva, itna acha kalakar Amitabh Bachchan saamne ubhar kar aaya hai iski bahut khushi bhi hai mujhe.

But you had, Kaala Pathhar ke time pe difference jo aap log the, many would say at a point of time it came from a personal space as well. You had a bit of cold war for few years.
SS: Ab isko aap kaho jawaani ka josh, stardom ka apna...

He's the guest of honor today?
SS: He is a chief guest. He is a very old friend of mine, today I've got only love, regards and respect for him. I hold him in very high esteem for his personality in totality, his towering personality, his behavior, his grace, the manners, jaise woh behave karte hai, plus a great actor and more than a great actor he's a greater star. Ab lagta hai ke sahi maayno mein star of the century, ab lagta hai. Khaas kar iss century mein. Lekin us samay jo hota tha, kisi ki lofe mein, aapki life mein bhi hota hoga, aapke co-stars hote hai, colleagues hote hai, unke saath kabhi hota hai, utaar chadav. Jab family mein bhi do chaar bartan hote hai toh dandhanate hai. Par aaj toh Amitabh ke liye haamre dil mein pyaar hi pyaar hai. Salamat rahe dostana hamara.